In searching for 4G mobile service applications: The case of the Indonesian market

Abstract

The role of the mobile telecommunications market is getting stronger, prompting a demand for new features from 4G applications. By focusing on the case of the Indonesian market, this paper analyses the characteristics of the upcoming 4G mobile service applications which might be popular in such a developing country. To construct the analysis, we conducted a survey over a sample of people representative of the likely market for 4G services and applications in five years’ time. We also develop a model identifying the challenges as well as opportunities for the national players in the mobile communications sector, i.e. for the operators and content developers. The results indicate that the main source of service innovation is likely to come from combining knowledge of a country’s local perspective together with that of the global trend of mobile service applications. The combination of both streams would create a new service which is likely to be swiftly adopted by the market.